'It's like a war zone': Indy records its deadliest year in 2015

With 144 criminal homicides, 2015 has surpassed 1998 as the year with the most murders investigated by Indianapolis police.

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Teresa Gaskin of Indianapolis, center, holds on to the shoulder of Lucille Sutton, left, as they pray for victims and family members at the house of Tuesday's quadruple homicide at 3145 North Harding Street on Thursday, March 26, 2015. On Wednesday, the Marion County coroner's office identified the quadruple homicide victims as 18-year-old Davon Whitlock, 32-year-old Tiara Turner, 41-year-old Terri Betties and 48-year-old Sherry Taylor, all of Indianapolis.(Photo: Matt Detrich/The Star)Buy Photo

No matter how brutal the details, how numerous the victims or how brazen the attack, Hamilton no longer considers anything outside the realm of possibility.

An Indianapolis native who moved to the Chicago area when he was 18 years old, Hamilton returned to Marion County about 10 years ago and has called the Far Eastside home ever since.

The 41-year-old said he returned to a city very different from the one he grew up in. He called the streets "ruthless," and said that young people running them do so with a "shoot first" mentality.

"These kids don't care anymore. Hell, these parents don't care anymore," he said. "No one wants to fight no more. They just want to shoot each other. ... Everyone lives like they got nothing to lose. It's a like a war zone out here."

So when he learned that 2015, with a total of 144 criminal homicides investigated by Indianapolis police, has become the deadliest year in the city's history, Hamilton simply shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

Any feelings of shock he had as homicide numbers began to climb a few years ago have long been replaced by feelings of disgust.

But public safety officials and experts say that hope is not lost. New leadership, a new plan and a pledge to more actively engage the community may be what the city needs to see its homicide numbers drop back into the double digits for the first time since 2012.

Hamilton hopes that they're right.

"We all want it to stop," he said. "Until then you just pray it's someone you don't know."

Slayings, shootings on the rise

Despite the numbers being down at the midyear point, a total of 144 men, women and children were slain in Indianapolis in 2015, up from the 138 criminal homicides recorded last year, and one more than the previous all-time high of 143 recorded in 1998.

When including the murders investigated by Beech Grove, Speedway, Lawrence, Cumberland and Indiana State Police, the total number of criminal homicides last year in Marion County becomes 150. Criminal homicides exclude such deaths as fatal shootings made in self-defense, fatal shootings made by police, and fatal accidents that are not prosecuted.

A closer look at the IMPD numbers reveals that 13 of the victims were under the age of 18. Fourteen of the suspects were also juveniles.

More significant than the year-to-year homicide change is the jump in the number of nonfatal shootings investigated by IMPD.

Through Dec. 27, the most recent numbers available, there were 447 nonfatal shootings in the city. That represents a 24 percent increase compared to the 361 shootings recorded in the same time period in 2014. It is also the first time that number has climbed past 400 in the past four years.

Data prepared by IMPD states that roughly 29 percent of the year's murders were known to be drug related, and 28 percent occurred within one of six focus areas that are home to a disproportionate amount of crime.

The six focus areas are at the intersections of West 16th Street and Tibbs Avenue, 29th Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, 34th and Illinois streets, 38th Street and Sherman Drive, New York Street and Sherman Drive, and 42nd Street and Post Road.

More than just a number

Friends and family members are quick to remind anyone who will listen that the victims laid to rest this year weren't just additions to a rapidly growing tally.

They were mothers and fathers. Brothers and sisters. Sons and daughters.

Police said on that day that 18-year-old Davon Whitlock, 32-year-old Tiara Turner, 41-year-old Terri Betties and 48-year-old Sherry Taylor, all of Indianapolis, were found dead in a house in the 3100 block of Harding Street.

Police said they had been shot multiple times and were discovered by the homeowner just before 10 a.m. The home had been ransacked, and there were signs that someone forced their way in. No one has been arrested in connection to the crime.

That was the night 10-year-old Deshaun Swanson was fatally shot while attending a memorial service with his mother and 11-year-old brother.

The family was paying their final respects to an elderly woman when shots rang out. Three other people were hurt in the shooting, and Swanson, a student at Warren Township Schools' Stonybrook Intermediate Academy, died later that night in the hospital.

No one has been arrested in connection to the crime.

A homicide on Nov. 10 drew eyes from across the nation. That morning, the husband of 28-year-old Amanda Blackburn found the pregnant mother fatally shot in their home.

With some help from her neighbors, police made two arrests in the case nine days later. One of the suspects, 18-year-old Larry Taylor, was also charged with the Nov. 4 killing of 26-year-old Rolando Gonzalez-Hernandez.

On Dec. 26, 49-year-old bounty hunter Kevin Watkins was arrested in connection to the deaths of 16-year-old Dionne Williams and 15-year-old Timmee Jackson.

Police said the teens went missing Christmas Eve, and evidence found at both Watkins' home in the 5900 block of East 23rd Street and his bail bonds business lead investigators to him.

Among that evidence was brain matter, bone fragments and a fingertip.

A new beginning

Solving the homicide problem is not something that can be done overnight, but Indy's new leaders say they are committed to navigating the city out of its "public safety crisis."

On Saturday, the day after Mayor Joe Hogsett and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Troy Riggs took office, they unveiled their plans to fight crime in the city. Their efforts in the first 100 days include expanding the six IMPD focus areas, putting a larger emphasis on community policing and bolstering data collection.

Hogsett said the city will also collaborate with nonprofits and the private sector to address the root causes of violence long term. Issues they plan to tackle include lack of mental health services, unemployment, addiction and education shortcomings.

Hogsett on why departments will report to him directly: "I'm in charge of the public safety...the buck stops here." pic.twitter.com/d9pwhupxsV

Laura Albright, a political science professor at the University of Indianapolis, said it is critical that Hogsett stays committed to matters of public safety throughout his mayoral term, not only because of the record-high number of homicides, but because crime-fighting policies were a major part of his election platform.

"The fact that the concern with crime was so central to the mayoral race, in terms of candidates' priorities and in terms of voters' priorities, speaks to just how important the issue is in the community," Albright said. The new mayor "must address it immediately and swiftly."

Albright said the appointment of Riggs and the establishment of his new public safety team has already shown how focused Hogsett is on crime, but he will have to combine the new faces with new polices.

"Hogsett's challenge will be constructing policies that target the increasing homicide rates without increasing costs to the city, and that balance is undoubtedly difficult," she said.

"Since the increasing crime rates are a serious concern to the community, his administration will have to tackle them right away to change the trends and set a tone for his own term as mayor."

A societal problem

But experts say solving the problem does not fall just on the shoulders of Hogsett, Riggs and those carrying guns and badges.

"I think when we talk about homicides, we're being intellectually dishonest because it's not just a police problem. It's a societal problem," White said. "It's not just a matter of the police not doing their jobs. It's all these other societal issues, and we need to address those to help police. Until we do that, we’re going to continue to have the same problems."

Along with mental health, education and unemployment, White lists the breakdown of the family unit and a "code of silence" that exists on the street as contributors to the city's rising violence.

The code of silence is also a matter that community members are fed up with. In early December, grieving families, police and the Ten Point Coalition anti-crime group joined forces to launch the "Let's Talk" campaign, an effort focused on encouraging the community to begin sharing information with police to help solve homicides.

"The public has got to step forward. This code on the street that you can't talk to police is absolutely ridiculous," White said. "This is a partnership. The retort to that code is if you're not going to help the police, then they can't help you."

White added that it also important to note the number of both homicide suspects and victims with criminal histories. IMPD data states that 80 percent of victims and 82 percent of suspects have criminal records locally.

"What you have is bad guys killing the bad guys. It's not your everyday citizen," White said. "I would say to your everyday citizen, you’re pretty safe. But if you're a bad guy, you’re not safe."

White said he expects the homicide numbers to drop in the coming years, due to the cyclical nature of crime. But for long-term success, engagement is key, and citizens are going to have to be willing to share the burden with police.

"Everyone has got a stake in this game," he said. "Until you get in this game, you can’t sit on the sidelines and complain."